HANDHELD PDA VIDEO ACCESSORY

A portable video accessory apparatus (10) is adapted to be mated to a handheld computer (30), such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) (30). The video accessory apparatus (10) adds a video playback and recording functionality to the (PDA) (30). The video accessory device (10) is capable of controlling the playback and recording of small form factor optical (SFFO) discs thereby causing the (PDA) (30) to act in the capacity of a 'smart' display module. A video engine (12) of the video accessory (10) may be realized with a small form factor optical (SFFO) disc drive capable of playing back optical discs on the order of 25 to 50 mm in diameter. The small form factor video engine (12) is of comparable dimensions to the PDA device (30), allowing the two devices, once mated, to have the look and feel of a single integrated unit.